Following the ousting of President Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea will hold a snap presidential election on June 3.
The decision came days after the Constitutional Court removed President Yoon Suk Yeol from office over his ill-fated imposition of martial law in December, 2024
The winner will have the task of dealing with the political and economic fallout from Yoon's action, which has ignited fierce polarisation and plunged the nation into chaos.
As per the reports, snap election is also taking place because South Korea has an uncertain ally in US President Donald Trump - and that will define long-standing challenges like the threat from North Korea, and the relations with China.
Here's everything you need to know as South Korea choose a new president who will lead the country for the next five years:
Why South Korea is Heading to the Polls
Yoon was supposed to remain president until 2027, but his presidency concluded in disgrace.
On December 3, he stunned the country by announcing martial law, citing danger from "anti-state forces" and North Korea - but it soon emerged that he was motivated by his own political woes.
Seven days later, he was impeached by the parliament. On 4 April, a constitutional court affirmed his impeachment and expelled him from office for good, paving the way for a snap presidential election in 60 days, as laid down by law.
During the six months since Yoon's bid for martial law, there have been three acting presidents, the latest being the labour minister Lee Ju-ho, who took over one month before the election.
Lee took over from Prime Minister Han Duck Soo, who was himself impeached a few weeks after he replaced Yoon as acting president. Finance minister Choi Sang-mok had previously acted as president until Han returned to the position in March.
The Major Issues at Stake
Yoon's martial law uncovered the deep-seated political fault lines in the nation, as the supporters and opponents of his move to impose martial law marched into the streets protesting.
The subsequent months of uncertainty rattled the confidence of the public in South Korea's economy. And this during a period when US President Donald Trump launched his tariffs on America's trading partners, with South Korean products having to endure a 25 per cent tax.
More locally, relations with North Korea are a constant headache. Although 2025 has been quiet, the previous year was more tense, as Kim Jong Un ratcheted up the rhetoric and both sides spent months launching balloons and drones laden with propaganda material over the border.
Seoul's new president also has to juggle Seoul's relations between its largest trading partner, Beijing, and most crucial security ally, Washington.
South Korea's Presidential Contenders
Surveys have put Lee Jae-myung of the major opposition Democratic Party in the lead among six candidates, trailed by Kim Moon-soo of the ruling PPP.
Lee, who lost to Yoon in 2022, is celebrated by his own supporters as a working class hero. He used to work in a factory before becoming a human rights lawyer and politician. He has vowed to create a "real Republic of Korea" with work and an equal society.
Kim, a former minister of labor, has made himself out to be an economics president, campaigning that he will make his country business-friendly.
The rest of the candidates are Lee Jun-seok of the New Reform Party, Kwon Young-guk of the Democratic Labor Party and two independents - Hwang Kyo-ahn and Song Jin- ho.
For the first time in 18 years, no woman will contest the presidency. The first female presidential candidate was Hong Suk-Ja in 1987 but did not make it to the polls. Four females contested in the 2012 election for the presidency.
What's Next for Impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol?
Yoon stands trial on a charge of insurrection for his bid to declare martial law.
This January he was South Korea's first sitting president to be taken into custody after detectives climbed over barricades and hacked through barbed wire to arrest him. Weeks later, he was released from detention on a technicality.
He was also recently charged with abuse of power, a distinct offense from insurrection.
Prior to the election, Yoon resigned from his party in what commentators described as a bid to support the prospects of PPP presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo.
South Korea's Election: Date And Results Schedule
The election date is June 3 and polling stations will be open from 06:00 local time (22:00 GMT) until 20:00. South Koreans abroad could vote early between 20 and 25 May.
Polls are likely to close and results announced after that, and the winner will probably be announced in the early hours of the next day.
When Yoon beat Lee in 2022, he was declared the winner nine hours after the end of voting, that is, at 04:40 the next morning.
